Nepal consists of a rich mosaic of
diversity, which, according to the country’s 2001 census,
numbered 102 ethnic groups and castes.
(Photo from www.trekinnepal.com; map from
www.annapurna-trekking.com)

The most recent and most important dynamics in Nepali
multilingualism are the entry of English as a medium of education
and a language of business, diplomacy and cross-cultural
communication. On the one hand, everyone knows the benefits of
multilingualism: they would like to teach their children not only
English but also other languages. However, on the other hand, it is
difficult for the next generation to develop the same level of
language proficiency for academic and professional communication for
higher learning and the sharing of complex ideas if they only use
their local languages for basic communication and use English only
for educational, professional and intellectual purposes.

Educators understand that multilingualism helps to facilitate access
to the curriculum and to learning in school. It also improves
communication between different linguistic groups. Multilingualism
provides children with the ability to share in a wide range of
intercultural experiences, such as literature, entertainment,
religion and other interests. Children can become fluent in more
than one language; and for many people throughout the world,
multilingualism is very common. The level of fluency depends on such
factors as the language program children follow in school and the
extent of parental support. The ability to speak the mother tongue
as well as the national language and an international language
creates a much wider range of life choices for individuals but can
also achieve national unity. There is no scientific evidence that
learning more than one language is intellectually damaging. Children
who have a good understanding of how different languages function
are more likely to have good analytical skills and are often more
effective communicators. Therefore, there is no doubt that
multilingualism is a positive social and personal resource.

Teachers of language and literacy also know that there is no
evidence to show that multilingual societies face more disadvantages
than monolingual countries. Any social disadvantage is caused by
factors other than language. It is important educationally that
children learn in their mother tongue in the early years of
schooling. The Nepalese government has also instituted a policy
regarding this observation.

However, the forces of globalization and prevailing myths about the
power of English (as if it is a magical potion that will create jobs
and opportunities and intellectual progress on its own) make it very
difficult for societies to develop educational systems based on
their understanding of multilingualism. Because of the globalization
of English, parents and teachers are attracted to giving education
to students in the English medium right from the very beginning.
They wrongly believe that students will be able to better succeed in
the competitive world if they have English proficiency. In reality,
it is knowledge and skills that students need most. A great deal of
research regarding multilingualism indicates that supporting
children’s understanding of their native language first will enhance
their acquisition of the second and third language. Similarly, there
is a link between multilingualism and creativity. Multilingualism
broadens access to information and offers alternative ways of
organizing thoughts. Unfortunately, these realities get lost in the
maze of myths about the magic of English.

Just consider the work of a businessperson. Most business people
need to travel around the world and communicate with people who
speak different languages. It is very clear that if students can
speak multiple languages they will be much better business people
who cannot only sell better but will also create and maintain good
will with many more people in the future. Consider students too who
may become diplomats, administrators and managers of multinational
corporations or work for the United Nations or become writers and
journalists at the international level. There is no profession that
I can think of where students will not do better if they are
multilingual. Remember though it will not be enough for them to
“know” how to conduct basic communication in all the other languages
except English, for only if teachers allow, encourage and facilitate
the use of multiple languages at higher levels of education can
students be efficient in multilingual contexts in their future
careers.

Many educators wrongly believe that promoting multilingualism is
costly, impractical or difficult. The reality is that such
assumptions are simply wrong. Promoting multilingualism need not
cost anything: teachers can simply encourage their students to use
and develop different languages by asking them to express their
ideas in different languages in the classroom as long as everyone
understands. Similarly, there is nothing impractical about equally
respecting and promoting different languages that students speak.
Instead, the opposite should be seen as unprofessional, unethical
and shameful for educated people and educators. Finally,
multilingualism is becoming a profitable business in many areas.
Think about a student who is able to translate documents. Realizing
the importance of multilingualism, many software companies nowadays
are developing multilingual interfaces, multilingual applications
for translation, multilingual communicative mechanisms, etc.

Yet another problem with educators is that they believe that they
are not qualified to teach or promote multilingualism. While it may
be true that a teacher is not “qualified” to teach different
languages, there is no reason why a teacher should not promote and
encourage multiple languages among their students. Furthermore,
there is absolutely no reason why they should suppress students’
languages. Just think about it: teachers have no right to do that in
the first place.

Although politicians try to divide society along linguistic lines,
educators can help their students speak the languages of different
ethnic groups and thereby help them become cross-cultural citizens
and promoters of cultural harmony. For this endeavor, teachers need
to realize that Nepal is very rich in culture and its aspects. We
need to utilize our culture to create peace and harmony among the
people of Nepal, not for fighting with each other in the name of
culture and language.

Teachers of language in a rich multilingual country, like Nepal,
have a duty to facilitate multicultural education among their
students. If they do so, they will not betray their students’ need
to learn better English. If students continue to learn new ideas, if
they grow up as citizens of the world who understand and respect
different cultures and their languages, in the long term, their
English will be better. Teachers need to prepare students for the
real world, and the real world is multicultural and multilingual. At
the very least, teachers need to draw on students’ linguistic and
cultural experiences and knowledge, allow them to utilize those
resources and never try to suppress them—whether intentionally or
not. Teachers in multicultural classrooms should be open to their
students and put forth the effort needed to know their students
inside and outside of the classroom. Evaluating cultural diversity,
teachers should build multicultural programs, show appreciation for
differences, avoid stereotypes, acknowledge differences in children
and discover the diversity within the classroom. In this way,
teachers in Nepal cannot only improve the lives and futures of their
students, but they can also make a contribution to a more vibrant
country with more respectful relationships among people from
different ethnic communities. Should not this goal be an aspiration
of education in Nepal?

* Shree Ram Chaudhari is the program manager of the Society for
Participatory Cultural Education (SPACE) in the Bardiya District of
Nepal. He attended the first School of Peace (SOP) that Interfaith
Cooperation Forum (ICF) held in Bangalore, India, in 2006.